thank Dog. photography » fun, artistic, modern pet portraits | Dallas,Texas

an introduction

to the deliciousness that is peanut butter.

Cash will probably be appearing pretty frequently on the blog — I’m taking advantage of every chance I get to get him in front of my camera before he finds his new forever home.

Tiffany - I really do wish he could come home with me. 🙁 If only i lived in Dallas full time! He’s so cute & sounds so sweet, the way you talk about him!

Lily - He looks so soft and sweet! You’ve done a fantastic job with him!

Update on the Little Boy (a.k.a. Cash, Cashew, Lumpy, Boxer Boy & New Dog)

So it’s been three months since Cash showed up on my doorstep.  He’s finally almost healthy (wounds healed, neutered, fatty cyst removed, hookworm treated, heartworm treated, and vaccinated) and is officially ready for adoption (through Legacy Boxer Rescue).  It’s going to be VERY hard for me to let him go — and I’m going to be picky about where he ends up — but I think it’s best for all of us.  I know Belle thinks it is.  In another week or so – when the heartworm treatment is complete – I’ll be introducing him to some new situations, etc. to see how he does so I can better know what type of home will be best for him (for example, I would think he’d be great with kids – but I’ve never seen him with any).

Things I love about Cash:

1.  He’s stackable.  Both he and Bear compete for the spot next to/on my lap during TV time.  Since it’s always been Bear’s spot, I tend to let Bear win.  But now – problem solved.  Cash just lays directly on top of Bear. (My boy is a saint.)

2.  He’s a tenor.  I’ll admit, the singing can drive me a little crazy every once in the while, but it more often makes me smile.

3.  He contorts his body into a complete circle when he’s happy.  Not just a kidney bean.

4.  He charms the hell out of everyone he meets.  When my sister was home for Christmas, I asked her to rank the Dallas family dogs (it’s a thing we do).  She asked if “New Dog” was really going to find a new home — because he was #1 if he was staying [knocking Bear down a peg].  My pest control guy stayed an extra 15 minutes, playing with and loving on him.

5.  He’s ridiculously patient and tolerant with me and my camera (watch the slideshow – you’ll agree).

6.  He’s really responsive to me.  He’s not perfectly trained, but he certainly understands the “eh eh” sound (and pays attention to it!).   He sits and stays well, but we’re still working on down.

7.  He’s cute.  Maybe not in the traditional sense, but come on, he’s cute.  And he’s remarkably soft.

8.  He’s an A+ cuddler.  Really loves nothing more.  Will happily doze on me, Bear, or any soft surface.

9.  He’s been so good while having some crappy stuff done to him.  Not only is his background unknown (he definitely belonged to someone but they never made any effort to look for him), but he was chewed up when I found him and has since had surgery (neuter and the cyst removal left about 20-25 staples) and heartworm treatment.  And he’s never been anything but sweet.

10.  He’s lazy.  I know most boxers are pretty high energy dogs, but he’s really not.  Or at least he hasn’t been yet. Maybe once he’s fully and completely 100%, the energy level will pick up – but now, he’s perfectly content to laze around.  Though he does demand a bed or sofa.

I’ve taken a lot of photos of Cash since he found me (that’s an understatement).  I put together a LONG slideshow (there seem to be a ton of singing photos) — if you’re interested in seeing his transformation, click here.

Chris - It will be tough. What a charmer and what a heroine you are. It wouldn’t be too bad for him to stay…

Claire - awww, he is too cute not to find a fabulous home! i love the color in that shot.

Tiffany - I want this pup! He looks just like the one i had when i was younger. LBR won’t accept my application becuase i don’t live in Dallas. I live in Ohio. 🙁

lollydo - Just saw a picture Cash on flickr and wondered how he is doing? We have a female white boxer and two mixed dogs, so the love and snuggling describe in your post made me laugh.

Debbie - He’s doing really well. He’s an only child in his new home, but he has somebody at home with him a lot during the day. They’ve kept me in the loop with his antics and I can confidently say he’s spoiled but not rotten! I still miss him though!

paws in the city | dallas dog photography

Yesterday afternoon I went to Urban Paws to take some photos of some Paws in the City dogs being boarded there while looking for new forever (or even foster) homes.  [Side note:  Urban Paws is a great urban doggie daycare/boarding place — it’s right on the edge of Deep Ellum and Downtown in a super cool space.  But the most impressive, and most striking, thing about it when you first walk in is a complete lack of any smell — not doggie, not poopy, not even antiseptic.  It’s kind of amazing.]  I arrived in the middle of playtime — a little hard to get their attention for any length of time, but lots of fun, LOTS of kisses, lots of dirty paws!  Here are the dogs I met…

If you – or anyone you know – may be interested in adopting or fostering a new dog, please consider the Paws in the City dogs.  There are some really great pups that need good homes!

Angela - Awwww… great shot of Ivan – those eyes are amazing. Love the slideshow format and new blog layout, especially now that it features a photo of Bowie Dog!

Josh Solar - It warms my heart to see photographers donating their time/talents to such wonderful causes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

I’m back.. and looking back

Sorry to anyone who experienced difficulties viewing the blog over the past several weeks…   My provider had some serious problems with a server upgrade, leading to all kinds of issues, but I’ve been told everything’s resolved now.  However, I’m going to be updating the look of the blog over the next week or two – I’m not sure exactly how I want it to look yet so don’t freak out if it looks completely different from one day to the next (or one hour to the next)!

Since I’ve been out of radio contact for so long….  hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year!  I have big plans for 2010 — hope you’ll come along for the ride!

Since 2009 saw the birth of thank Dog., I thought I’d look back at a few of my favorites from the past year.  I tried to narrow it down to 10, but ended up with 25 (so buckle down – it’s going to be a long post!).   I like them for different reasons – some just because they capture the dog’s personality so well, some because they make me laugh, some because, well, I just like it.  Without further ado…

1.  I’ll start with one of each of my pups.  I just love this photo of Belle – she looks very serious, but I think her eyes are still soft and gentle.  Plus she’s just so pretty (I’m not biased at all).

2. My sweet boy.  He’s actually not easy to photograph – he usually either is literally on my feet or in my face or he’s turned his head away.  But here he looks happy and like he’s having fun.  The gorgeous blue sky and tall grasses don’t hurt either.

3.  Sweet Cash (I’ll have another post with an update on him soon).  This was taken the same day as the shot above (which may well have been the most gorgeous day all year!).  He looks confident and healthy – a far cry from when I first found him (or, to be more accurate, he first found me).

4. Now, in no particular order…  Little Bonnie – I think she looks just like the sweet little old lady she was in this photo.  (Sadly, Bonnie has since passed away after living a long and happy life.)

5.  Scruffies!  This was taken when I went with my dad to pick up his PBGV pup.  A squirrel was on the other side of the fence, taunting the pack of scruffies.  I just really like this one.

6.  Speaking of the Scruffy – just look at that face.  Trust me when I say that’s not a guilty face (she has no idea what it means to be in trouble) — that’s a “why are you filling in that hole I just worked so hard on?” face.

7. Rex.  Rex is pure lab – he’s sweet, goofy, happy, slobbery, and ball-obsessed.  He kept us laughing the entire session.  This photo just screams “LAB!” to me.

8. Sweet little Petey was, at the time, a Paws in the City dog – but he’s since been adopted.  I’m not sure why I love this photo so much – his coloring up against the bluish-grey (goes to show you can get great shots anywhere, including a parking lot!), his freckles, or his sweet little face.  Rumor has it this photo was instrumental in his adoption!

9.  The wrinkles.  And wrinkles.  And more wrinkles.  This actually took a little work in photoshop to clean up the background, but I love the simplicity of the shot, made more powerful by being in b&w.

10.  The cutest little puppy ever.  Lily is ADORABLE.  There were a ton of shots from her shoot that I really liked – but the composition of this one really appeals to me.

11.  Libby’s a sweet old girl.  She does her best to keep up with her much-younger BFF, Tsouka.  But she has to take a break every now and again.  Love the setting and the sweetness in her old face.

12.  Don’t you just want to bury your face in that muppet fur?

13.  Kaiser’s still young, but could already work it like a supermodel.  German Shepherds can be intimidating – but a quick look at Kaiser’s eyes makes it clear he’s a big softie.

14.  No, Kaiser’s not intimidating in the slightest.  Kaiser’s goofy side is what you’re more likely to see!

15. This one will probably have you scratching your head.  Puzzle is a search-and-rescue dog that I photographed for the cover of her mom’s upcoming book (more in a later post).  She’s a sweet, happy golden, but she has a serious job.  Something about this photo – the movement, the b&w – seemed fitting.  I don’t know – I just like it.

16.  Puppies.  If young enough, they’ll crash and sleep anywhere and let you do anything to them.  Sebastian (aka Scabby – don’t ask) conked out so we put him up on a little white leather chair.  A little photoshop work to clean up the background and you have what looks like a clean studio shot!

17.  What happens when a golden and a doodle go to a water park?  F.U.N.

18.  I like shots of dogs in tall grasses – I don’t know what it is about that scene that speaks to me, but it does (well, I suppose the dog needs to be a sporting-type dog for the scene to really work).  Kelly was up for it.  Love the tones in this one.


19.  Another Scruffy shot.  It may not be the best shot technically speaking, but I dare you not to giggle at her attempt to attack the leaf blower.

20.  Sweet little Tsouka.  She’s really a happy, ball-obsessed girl.  But here she just looks so sweet.  And I love the way she sits.

21. Ellie was another dog that couldn’t take a bad photo!  Whether she was serious or goofy, they pretty much all turned out great.  But this one makes me smile every time I look at it.

22.  Chloe’s a sweet girl – patient and a little mischievous (I think she gets her little brother, Kaiser, into trouble).  I love the soft tones in this shot of her.

23.  I forced my niece to meet me near Deep Ellum with her pug, Gus, for some urban shots.  I’m glad I did.

24.  It’s not always the case that I can get good shots in bedrooms (they’re often pretty dark) – particularly those with dark red and brown tones.  But a big window just behind me gave Maggie the perfect spotlight.

25.  And lastly…. Speck is a funny little possum of a dog.  But when you put him in the right setting, he looks almost regal.  And, no, I did nothing to set the shot up except put Speck up on the chair.  This is one of my all time favorite shots.

Which is your favorite?

april - Sooo hard to decide on a fave! I’d have to choose #13… such soulful eyes and I love the composition. Though I admit, #19 did make me giggle 🙂

Amy - It’s hard to choose, but I think my favorite is the water park.

Daniel - I like that I can see your reflection in the eyes of Kaiser in shot #13. Neat effect. The blog looks great.

Ruth - Don’t make me pick only one, I just can’t!! I really love the last one and Bonnie and the Frenchie and the Pug … glad to see you back online. Happy New Year 😀

Li Ward - The leaf blower shot is awesome!

Rhianne - oh my gosh, squirrel!! That is so perfect, I love it and 16 is just so cute. I’m so glad I found your photography this year 🙂

Christi - You do great work! My favorite is the dog attacking the leaf blower. I’m also in love with Cash. 🙂

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